New 2023 5.3 with DFM.

newdude · August 1, 2023

10 hours ago, Jimbeau said:

So, without excessive, or unexpected maintenance costs would it be reasonable to expect 200k out of this generation DFM’d 5.3 engine? Hard to say I know but assuming frequent oil changes, care, and responsible adult driving?

I don't see why not. Anything is possible.

Not a DFM 5.3 but some of our local farmers have older AFM trucks near 200k on them that haven't had a lifter replaced yet. I'm in NY so the trucks look like swiss cheese lol but they are still ticking.

Edited August 1, 2023 by newdude

diyer2 · August 1, 2023

I would follow the severe duty services in the manual.

Jimbeau · August 1, 2023

44 minutes ago, jaxcam02 said:

From what I understand DFM is a much better alternative to AFM. DFM is able to cycle which cylinders it inactivates therefore effectively spreading out the stress/strain on all cylinders over time instead of the AFM's 4 dedicated deactivated cylinders.

Apparently DFM can also reduce cylinder output as well. Rather than completely inactivating that is. It’s supposed to have the capability to select various and cycling cyl combinations to reduce power to achieve the desired throttle command. I certainly like the concept of this better than harshly shutting off a bank of cylinders. Even if the DFM commands only a minimum amount of power from various cylinders, they are still generating heat, cooling, and better stress equalization.

Jimbeau · August 1, 2023

44 minutes ago, newdude said:

Not a DFM 5.3 but some of our local farmers have older AFM trucks near 200k on them that haven't had a lifter replaced yet. I'm in NY so the trucks look like swiss cheese lol but they are still ticking.

That’s good to know. A corrosive environment is tough on everything, including engines, and wiring. At least it’s the case in my business.
I’ve had excellent results coating the underside of my new trucks with a protective anti-corrosion film.

So I crawled under my new truck to study everything and tackle this process. Man was I impressed. This thing is already coated to the hilt! The backside of the body panels have a beautiful safari tan coating. The frame however is different. They put about an 1/8” coating of soft black compound that’s tacky and messy. It’ comes off easily if scuffed. I noticed scuffs where the frame had been jacked by my tire shop when I had the tires balanced. Yes, at 300 miles I had the wheels tweaked to perfection. Also noticed a number of other scuffs that penetrated this frame coating from the factory. Anytime a scuff from lifting occurs it exposes raw frame metal. I took care of it by spot spraying Cor-Ban 35 on the raw places. It creates a permanent hard wax barrier that’s as good as anything money can buy. Pretty sure the frame pieces are hot dipped before assembly. During assembly, or jacking they get scuffed and never spot treated again.
Still, it’s the nicest factory coating I’ve ever seen!
Now back to DFM

Gangly · August 1, 2023

There are quite a few AFM engines that are over 200k and still running strong.

As far as used vehicles are concerned, the older they get and the more often they are sold, the greater the likelihood that the vehicle falls under the ownership of someone who is willingly lackadaisical in maintenance practices, increasing the likelihood of the vehicle not going "the distance". As such, most engines that make it 200K are single owner, or second owner vehicles where the owner(s) have provided proper maintenance from day one.

Jimbeau · August 1, 2023

4 hours ago, Gangly said:

There are quite a few AFM engines that are over 200k and still running strong.

As far as used vehicles are concerned, the older they get and the more often they are sold, the greater the likelihood that the vehicle falls under the ownership of someone who is willingly lackadaisical in maintenance practices, increasing the likelihood of the vehicle not going "the distance". As such, most engines that make it 200K are single owner, or second owner vehicles where the owner(s) have provided proper maintenance from day one.

Well my 98 GM truck was purchased new and maintained well. It went over 200k as a single owner but with the maintenance bills it was by far the most expensive truck I’ve ever owned! All my other GM trucks were essentially maintenance free and super reliable. Makes a huge difference when you look at the overall cost of ownership! My 2010 F150 is still being used with 260k on the odometer. It’s only been in the shop twice for minor issues. Luck if the draw I guess.

As far as longevity maintenance goes, it’s really just fluids and filter changes right? Sure brakes, batteries, and such but that stuff typically lets you know when it’s time.
One thing I’ve always done is replace the battery every 36 months regardless. Much easier on the electrical system than trying to milk a dying battery. Also don’t like having to worry about it letting me down at an inconvenient place. About half the time they check bad at 36 months anyway, which helps with the prorate or free replacement:)

Gangly · August 2, 2023

My GM's have always been serviced according the timetable outlined in the owners manual, and I have never had an engine issue to date (knock on wood) with several engines being 15+ years old with around 200K miles on them. My 2020 truck has longer manufacturer recommended maintenance intervals than my late 90's and early 2000 GM's (3,000 recommended OCI) so I would have to say, other than the increased costs of using premium lubricants and filters by choice, my 2020 truck is the least costly vehicle I have owned when it comes to regular maintenance.

As far as actual repairs are concerned, I can only think of two off the top of my head:

A transfer case leak which cost me 2 qts. of fluid and a seal; <$50

Accessory Belt; <$50

Other than OCI's and the battery, I have had minimal maintenance costs, and minimal repair costs. The truck has held up well.

Edited August 2, 2023 by Gangly

Jimbeau · August 2, 2023

20 minutes ago, Gangly said:

My GM's have always been serviced according the timetable outlined in the owners manual, and I have never had an engine issue to date (knock on wood) with several engines being 15+ years old with around 200K miles on them. My 2020 truck has longer manufacturer recommended maintenance intervals than my late 90's and early 2000 GM's (3,000 recommended OCI) so I would have to say, other than the increased costs of using premium lubricants and filters by choice, my 2020 truck is the least costly vehicle I have owned when it comes to regular maintenance.

As far as actual repairs are concerned, I can only think of two off the top of my head:

A transfer case leak which cost me 2 qts. of fluid and a seal; <$50

Accessory Belt; <$50

Other than OCI's and the battery, I have had minimal maintenance costs, and minimal repair costs. The truck has held up well.

Thanks for the info. Good to hear.

Kevin0311 · August 7, 2023

2019 6.2 traded in last December had DFM with 63k miles zero issues with that.

2023 6.2 have now has 11k zero issues

2014 5.3 with AFM 135k miles zero issues with that.

Owned all three since new.

Jimbeau · August 8, 2023

14 hours ago, Kevin0311 said:

2019 6.2 traded in last December had DFM with 63k miles zero issues with that.

2023 6.2 have now has 11k zero issues

2014 5.3 with AFM 135k miles zero issues with that.

Owned all three since new.

Great to hear this!!!

I towed with the truck for the first time today. Drug a small boat across a two lane chunk of Arkansas today. Even had do few miles of dirt road and got to try out the 4wd also. Pulled the boat up a wet grassy hill that was rutted. Great job. Super impressed with the performance.

Enough · August 9, 2023

2020 Silverado 5.3 LT with 52,250 miles and no issues other than the idler pulley. Had the transmission flushed and fluid changed at 50,000 miles. My truck was a transfer from another dealer with 2,200 miles on it at the beginning of Covid. It's one of the trucks that has the DFM chip. My dealer had 4 trucks on the lot when their usual inventory was 100 + units. Made in Mexico !

58 miles round trip commute from stop and go to 15 miles in I-10 at 75 MPH ( including the tunnel in Mobile ) .

23.2 MPG so far this week with 98-100 air temps ain't to shabby. 450 miles on the present tank of gas and have at least another 50 miles left. Best tank so far was 25 MPG and over 550 miles before refueling.

it may go up in a ball of flames tomorrow but so far I'm pretty happy with it !

Jimbeau · August 9, 2023

6 hours ago, Enough said:

2020 Silverado 5.3 LT with 52,250 miles and no issues other than the idler pulley. Had the transmission flushed and fluid changed at 50,000 miles. My truck was a transfer from another dealer with 2,200 miles on it at the beginning of Covid. It's one of the trucks that has the DFM chip. My dealer had 4 trucks on the lot when their usual inventory was 100 + units. Made in Mexico !

58 miles round trip commute from stop and go to 15 miles in I-10 at 75 MPH ( including the tunnel in Mobile ) .

23.2 MPG so far this week with 98-100 air temps ain't to shabby. 450 miles on the present tank of gas and have at least another 50 miles left. Best tank so far was 25 MPG and over 550 miles before refueling.

it may go up in a ball of flames tomorrow but so far I'm pretty happy with it !

That’ is great mileage for a 5.3 engine! Must be a 2WD truck??? I’m only getting around 18mpg on this new 2023

Mshawn · January 16

On 7/30/2023 at 9:55 PM, Jimbeau said:

Apparently GM is back in full swing manufacturing new 5.3’s with Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM), which shuts down cylinders randomly.

I’m not at all thrilled to learn that my brand new 2023 GMC 1500 came with DFM. For some reason I thought this was a thing of the past. It certainly wasn’t mentioned by the salesperson, or any marketing adds! It is on the window sticker, but definitely not something that jumps out at the customer.
Wasn’t this a huge problem? Please tell me GM has corrected the issues with this nonsense??? I call it nonsense because the fuel economy hasn’t even improved in my experience.
I have major concerns about reliability with this DFM system. The main reason I chose the V8 is for dependability, not fuel economy.

I typically keep my work trucks a long time and put over 200K on the odometer before selling. Is this going to be an issue?

Thanks!

I have a 2023 RST with 5.3 it performs flawlessly. The fuel mileage just gets better and better. I got a 100 k warranty thrown in with it when I bought it. If ever the lifters go out I’m going to go in and delete the whole dfm. I’m a tech so that save me some money. I have a shop and every thing I need short of a tune and that’s where Gwatney performance come in. I’ll tow it there and have it tuned. I got 26.4 mpg going to Hot springs here back in December when we went to see the Christmas lights there. My average lifetime in the truck is 22.1 over the 8300 + mile on the odometer. On my drive to work which is all interstate I get about the same mileage and it 46 miles there and 46 miles back. I don’t get the same on the way back because of the traffic. But in the morning. It does great.

Jimbeau · January 16

I started this thread 6 months ago when my truck was brand new. Since then I’ve learned a lot about the subject and happy to report zero problems with my 2023. Very pleased with the 5.3 engine up to this point.

Colby Zethraeus · August 6

On 7/31/2023 at 9:33 PM, Jimbeau said:

Well I tend to worry about things like this for good reason, but I’m beyond enjoying the new truck! Excellent so far and great year end deals have made it even more attractive. Just concerned about long term reliability. It’s a huge purchase and I tend to keep my trucks a really long time

I have 3 with zero issues. I love the new 5.3 with the 10 speed it shifts awesome. I have an older 5.3 supercharged with the the 6spd the newer transmission is so smooth it really wakes up the 5.3.